How the fifth-generation in Old Delhi is keeping Diwali traditions

Shahjahanabad, the capital of the Mughal empire after shifting from Agra, was inhabited by people of various castes and professions. The city still, though having lost its old charm and sheen, celebrates Diwali with fervour. Celebrations start with preparing for the Ram Leelas and savari (processions on old Delhi streets), lasting 10 days, portraying the life of Lord Ram from the Ramayana. This practise started in Mughal days and still happens even during Navratris. Diwali melas and bazaars are lit with street food, temporary kiosks selling Laxmi and Ganesh idols, and toys brought from across the country.

Traditional small-time halwais make sweets made with their forefathers’ recipes and big ones boast of the same practise. I belong to an old fifth-generation Mathur Kayasth family of old Delhi and we celebrate Diwali in our own traditional ways. Preparations start early and invites are sent to family and friends for dinners. Diwali dinners in Mathur homes will always have a non-vegetarian dish, which could be bhuni hui kaleji to go with the drinks and aloo gosht cooked with traditional recipes by the women in the kitchen. Our community has been hugely influenced by Mughal culture. Our customs and mannerisms in food, language and dressing up, is quite syncretic.

Sweets like petha and halwa sohan ki tikiya are also procured. Halwa sohan ki tikiya is a tikiya made with almonds garnished on top, and is slowly getting extinct, losing its recipe to other sweets. It uses samnak — wheat soaked in water and taken out before sprouting so it can be dried and powdered. This powder is also put in khoya till it turns dark brown. In our home, deewlas, both sweet and salty, along with papris and rawa ke laddoos, are made. Deewlas are traditional sweets made like mathris dipped in sugar syrup and topped by sprinkling boora or crushed sugar. Pethe ki mithai are a must during Laxmi Puja. Papri, a salty preparation of besan or gram flour, is made during Holi. A particular ingredient that goes in it is green methi or fenugreek leaves.

(Courtesy: Ashok Mathur)

Unfortunately, most old Delhi residents have moved out, leaving the city’s tangible and intangible heritage to decay. Not many are left to hold the fort and keep up traditional values and ways. Time, which brings, sustains and terminates cultures, is constant.

Ashok Mathur is a fifth-generation resident of Shahjahanabad, who also conducts tours around Old Delhi